Thursday, 28 March 2013

TOTALLY SENSELESS

Each episode features two celebrity team captains and two of their real-life friends competing across a series of fun, physical challenges. However, nothing on this show is simple... because on Totally Senseless the players will lose their senses - literally!

In each head-to-head challenge a different sense will be taken away - for example: sight, hearing, balance or touch. With all their senses, the games would be simple - but take one away and it's much harder for the teams... and much more fun for us!

The show promises to be an entertaining mix of humour, tension and competition as the celebrities compete to win thousands of pounds for their chosen charity. Mix the modern feel of the Cube with the tongue-in-cheek fun of Total Wipeout and you have Totally Senseless!

Limited children's tickets available - submit your request using the form below. Due to the nature of the programme under-12's will not be admitted into the studio. Children under 16 must be accompanied by at least one adult in the party. Due to the nature of the recording schedule the show will be split into 2 halves on each day.

EPISODE TWO: "TAKING IT BACK"
Steffi takes it back to school, where it all began and the day she first fell for Pete. But Lara and Kim are not impressed with her exciting news -- and she better watch out coz Lara's not about to give up on Pete that easy...

STEFFI (http://bit.ly/13KGVpi) is a brand new, music based drama series starring Jasmine Breinburg (Danny Boyle's Olympic Ceremony), Jamal Edwards (You Tube and Google Chrome Star, Owner of SBTV), Lee Boardman (ITV's GREAT NIGHT OUT) and Jade Ewen (SUGABABES), featuring an all star cast and brilliant UK Urban music soundtrack featuring Mic Righteous, Wiley and Ceezlin.EPISODE ONE: "MY FIRST AUDITION"Steffi goes from washing dirty dishes to standing on stage and giving the performance of her life to a very important surprise member of the audience. It's a rollercoaster of emotions for Steffi - but will it be enough?EPISODE ONE is live here now. Plus exclusive preview of EPISODE TWO http://bit.ly/13WYfanBe first to watch the next episode of STEFFI here every MONDAY!Subscribe for an exclusive first look at STEFFI episodes:http://bit.ly/13RkBKvBackground, character information and more:http://www.thisisdrama.comLike STEFFI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steffidramaFollow STEFFI on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/steffi_drama

It’s easy to be skeptical of singers turned actresses, but no one can fault Jade Ewen of trying to bank on her looks. Whether she’s performing in front of thousands with her Sugababes band mates, showing off her impressive moves in danceDVDs, or displaying her feisty side in the hotly anticipated new music based drama ‘Steffi,’ there are many reasons why she is everyone’s favorite darling. But this is one good girl who’s turning bad.

The 25-year-old makes her latest splash in the mainstream with a starring role in YouTube series ‘Steffi,’ based on the best-selling novel ‘The Overnight Fame of Steffi McBride’ by Andrew Croft, which tells the story of a South London Council estate girl, who is thrust from obscurity and into stardom. We caught up with the star to talk about her “bithcy, school girl” role, working with Jamal Edwards, being inspired by Whitney Houston, and to find what’s happening with Sugababes.

Where did you find time in yourSugababesschedule to rehearse for Steffi?

With acting stuff you don’t really tend to rehearse as you’re just given your scripts, which you have to go away and learn. You also have a schedule that’s created around that for the drama, but my Management were really excited about the project and they basically just made time. It’s something which I’m really glad that I’ve done as it ties in with music.

You’re often seen as the “the sweet one.” How was it playing a bit of a vixen badass?

My character is nasty – she’s a nasty piece of work but she’s one of those girls with a lot of pressure on her shoulders, which comes from her family and lots of various other things. So, she always feels as though she has to put on a show for people, which is all a bit of an act. On the inside, she’s quite vulnerable and insecure, but to mask that she’s a bit of a bitch who treats people really badly. I like the role because it’s fun. I don’t just want to be sweet and forgettable – you want to have a bit of grit and awareness.

What else can you tell us about your role?

My character sings in the show, which was obviously one of the first things that made me take notice.
I guess the thing that I liked about it was that it wasn’t like a cheesy or safe drama to do. It’s young and youthful, but it really does push the boundaries, which is quite cool. I was telling my brother, who’s 17, about the storyline and the plot, which to my relief he loved. He thinks it’s really cool, but he’d be honest with me, he would say, ‘look I think this idea is pretty wack and I don’t think you should do it,’ so it’s great that teenagers and people my age will be able to relate to it.

How does a 25-year-old put herself into the mind of a 16-year-old girl?

I have really fun memories of school, so I just based my character on a collection of people that I knew when I was at school. It wasn’t difficult for me at all, as I am also around my brother and his friends all the time. It’s the same as songwriting where you just have to change and adapt to your surroundings.

I remember reading that you attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School. So, this is obviously something that you’re happy doing?

I’ve been acting as long, as I’ve been singing and dancing. When I went to Sylvia Young, they try and encourage you to be what they call a ‘triple threat’ –you try and be as good as you can in every aspect of entertainment. For as long as I’ve been singing, I’ve been auditioning, in fact, I seemed to get more acting work before I ever had any sort of music success. It wasn’t much of a hard transition really, but you just have to be able to make a difference between stage and TV acting, as some things are a bit more subtle.

How were your nerves on set compared to when you walk out on stage to sing for your fans?

I don’t really get nervous when I am acting. I would love to say I am terrified, but I’m not. You get a lot of time to prepare so it’s not like you’re thrown in the deep end. Before you start filming the director gives you notes and you pretty much know what you are going to do in your scenes, but even if you manage to do a perfect take in one go, you always end up doing the same scene several times over. By the time you’ve finished that scene – there’s such a variety to choose from, that you know when it’s edited you won’t look bad. It’s a lot better than going on to stage and doing a live performance because as you know anything can go wrong.

What was your most awkward experience in school?

We had a mixed ballet class of boys and girls where we did a lot of lifting and partner work. My partner was like really overly excitable and because I was quite small he was keen to pick me. Our teacher then used us to do a demonstration, and I think as he was in the moment he got so carried away, he literally threw me above his head but didn’t catch me. [Laughs] We were meant to be the pros, and not only did I land really ungracefully on top of him but also on a hard wooden studio floor. It was really painful.

The series takes you back to your school years. Is that a period you’d like to revisit or are you content with where you are now?

It was fun but I don’t envy kids. When I see my own brother having to do revision and GCSEs, I always tend to be happy about not being in his shoes. The friends were cool, the dancing and singing bit was fun, but I did not like the last two years of school as it was just an enormous pressure. So, I have to say that I’m glad that I don’t ever have to do that again.

Over the course of the series, your character seems to spend a lot of time being feisty. Is that a secret side we don’t know about?

I guess I do have a bit of feistiness, but it takes a lot for me to bring it out. I’m pretty passive, but if I’m really pushed or passionate about a subject, then it comes out. My character in the show can be quite malicious. She does things to other people’s detriment, but I wouldn’t say that I am anything like that, as I just tend to say my point and move on.

The drama tells the story of an unknown singer rocketing to worldwide fame from a life of obscurity. What are the highs and lows that are connected with being a celebrity?

The highs are getting free stuff [Laughs]… When I was broke and I needed things nobody was giving me anything, but now I am in a privileged position – people are always giving me stuff, which is nice. I love travelling, especially as I wasn’t in a position to be able to travel as much as I do now. And of course performing as it is my passion at the end of the day. The lows are being tired most of the time, as you have to get up at like 3:30 in the morning and going to sing live on TV, while you’re just desperately trying to keep your eyes open.

I also get travel sickness. I do not like being in a car for too long, when you’re doing radio tours, and you have to drive for eight hours – it’s not fun at all when you also have to do it constantly for a week or two. Sometimes you have to answer the same questions over and over again, whilst pretending you’re really enthusiastic is also not very cool. Sometimes you have to answer the same questions over and over again while being really enthusiastic, and things that are written about you in the papers that are generally not true, is also not very cool.

Jamal with co-star Jasmine Breinburg

You also star alongside Jamal Edwards. What surprised you most about him?

I was surprised at the fact that he was acting, I didn’t know that he had an interest in acting. When we were speaking, he said that he didn’t attend any stage school or have much training, but he did seem to just deliver his lines really naturally. It’s obviously a hidden passion of his. It was a nice surprise, and hopefully he will have the confidence to go on and do more.

You are naturally very beautiful. Was it a relief to need little to no makeup?

Initially, they told me some things that I was really quite worried about. At first, they were saying they were going to go for it with the makeup, and I was like ‘really?’ They were like ‘yeah’ – bright lipstick and loads of eye shadow. I was saying to myself, ‘I really don’t want to end up looking like a clown.’ Luckily for me, they didn’t go ahead with the idea.

You seem to have been heavily influenced by Whitney Houston. Are you hoping to follow in her footsteps, career-wise?

If I can have a fraction of what she achieved, I would be the happiest person in the world. I absolutely love her. I think she is so ridiculously talented, so yes I would love for that to be my own reality. However, you have to work very hard for those things to come – I’ll just keep going.

Are you currently single?

No, I am not but I don’t really put it out there. I have been in a relationship for about a year and a half now.

Sugababes: (L-R) Amelle, Jade and Heidi.

Who’s your celebrity crush?

Until I met Usher, I didn’t think he was so hot. I love his songs, and I think he’s an incredible artist.

We have to talk about the Sugababes. What’s happening? Will you ladies be releasing new music anytime soon?

We do have plans to do so. There’s so much happening at the moment. I’m doing ‘Steffie’ as well as a solo project which I am really enjoying, and I think I can say the same for Heidi and Amelle. We’re all just kind of taking the opportunity to explore other areas and aspects of our careers. I think we will probably come back together again at the end of the year. There will definitely be more recording, but there is no release date anytime soon.

There have been a number of groups reforming lately. As ever, people have different views. Are you worried about this?

No, I think it’s encouraging. If groups can come back and still enjoy success then great for them. At the moment, everything is just competition, especially when you look at the Internet and shows like the X Factor where there are new talents constantly emerging. You’ve just got to get on with it and do it for the right reasons, if you make good art, then I think people will see that, and it will shine through rather than being famous for five minutes.

There are plenty reasons to tune in to ‘Steffi’ and one of them is to soak in scenes full of Jade Ewen goodness. The series premieres today on YouTube channel ThisIsDrama.

Steffi, which follows the story of a talented girl from a South London Council estate, who’s plucked from obscurity and propelled into the world of overnight fame and stardom, will be shown exclusively on the site's new digital, premium drama channel, ThisIsDrama.

The music-based drama series features an all-star cast, including a mix of the UK’s hottest young acting talent, and is based on the best-selling novel The Overnight Fame of Steffi McBride by Andrew Croft. Jasmine Breinburg, the star of Danny Boyle's Olympic Ceremony, takes the lead role of Steffi.

In what is believed to be an industry first, the series pilot will be released as 6 x 5’ bite-sized episodes in a weekly schedule on the video sharing site, in partnership with SBTV – the UK’s leading youth broadcaster.

ThisIsDrama is a new digital channel showcasing original and exclusive drama series, films and mini-series featuring both well established and emerging acting and production talent exclusively on YouTube.

‘Ello! Idolator is here in London for a wild few days of English pop immersion school, taking in the best and brightest Britain has to offer with particular attention to the superstars who haven’t commanded as much stateside attention as, say, One Direction or Adele. (But maybe deserve to. Just saying.)

As fans know, MKS — comprised of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy — formed over a decade ago as Sugababes, then left the group one by one (and were subsequently replaced) in a Destiny’s Child-esque string of lineup changes; by their fourth iteration, the band we call Sugababes had none of its original members. At that point, the original girls reunited to begin recording their first album since their iconic debut, 2000′s One Touch.

Despite a few attempts over the years, Sugababes never made much of a splash in the US despite finding massive success globally — one launch in 2003 with their single “Hole In the Head” saw them just barely crack the Hot 100, and another planned for 2009 through Roc Nation was scrapped — but the original girls, now formed as MKS, have something very special up their sleeves. Yesterday, I heard their song “Boys” for the first time; the UK’s finest pop music blogger, the inimitable Popjustice, has written about the song at length, which only piqued my interest further. He was right: It’s a glorious song that couldn’t be a better comeback for the girls. (Here’s a Vine of me listening to it for the first time, if you’re so invined.)

As promised, “Boys” a big pop number: Modern-sounding, but with a lot of spunky ’80s influence. Shades ofCyndi Lauper, even. It also had a quality that one finds in a lot of the very best pop songs (to me, it evokedK-pop girl group 2NE1‘s pretty much peerless “I Love You” in this way, even though they sound completely different) in that it sounds very textured, layered and dynamic, building in density and complexity with each successive verse and chorus. It’s a funny thing to attempt to describe, but you know it when you hear it — and it’s not something that could come through in their gorgeous a cappella rendering of the song, posted last month.

The “Boys, stop!” callout, which can be heard in the snippet of the track, is infectious (it more or less demandspalm-out “Stop! In the Name of Love”-style choreography), but it’s even more of a delight in the context of the song because it’s such a likably tough moment, while much of the song hinges on a lot of lush, velvety harmonies. Their voices are magic together, and the emotion when they sing “We’re over!” is surprisingly stirring, given how spunky the song is. But that’s what the girls did best together, on songs like the brilliantly dissonant pop existential crisis “Overload,” and “Run for Cover,” with its sinister bent — a mixture of light and dark that’s sublimely dynamic.

I heard some other jaw-droppingly great new music from MKS, too, which meets the same high standard as “Boys” — there’s one song that reminded me of the melodrama of “Run for Cover” as reimagined for the sound of 2013 — but “Boys” is a definite smash. If this seems like a lot of words to write about one song that nobody’s even heard yet, trust me: It’s worth it.

Thursday, 14 March 2013

Our brand new drama series STEFFI is so right now - it's here. Get a first glimpse of STEFFI and her world, meet her family, her boyfriend and her friends - and follow her on her journey into the mad, crazy world of overnight fame.

It features an all star cast which includes Jamal Edwards (Owner of SBTV & YouTube Star) in his first major acting role with debuts from Jasmine Breinburg (star of Danny Boyle's Olympic Ceremony), Jade Ewen (SUGABABES). Lee Boardman (ITV's Great Night out) stars as QUENTIN, the shark like PR agent who's circling STEFFI with Michael Nardone (ROME, BBC/HBO) and Sharon Duncan Brewster (TOP BOY, C4) as her Mum and Dad.

Watch the first official trailer and check the brilliant Urban music soundtrack, featuring sick tunes from MIC RIGHTEOUS. WILEY and CEEZLIN and our title track from BECKY HILL. CEELZIN's brilliant track SENSES features on our first official TRAILER.

If you fancy wrapping your eyes around something new, or your parents are hogging the telly, then upcoming YouTube drama STEFFI could be just what you've been waiting for.

Telling the tale of Steffi (obvs) a teenager whose life changes overnight when she is propelled into the world of fame and stardom, the series - based on bestelling novel The Overnight Fame of Steffi McBride by Andrew Croft - is set to take the web by storm in six bite sized episodes.

You might recognise some of the names attached to the project too - SBTV's Jamal Edwards makes his acting debut for example, while Sugababe Jade Ewen (yeah, the one who recently accused Rita Ora of sleeping her way to success) also stars in the show, which premieres this Friday on YouTube channel ThisIsDrama.

Music buffs might want to take note aswell, because the series features an original UK urban music soundtrack from Wiley AND a title track from Becky Hill - that loud one from the last series of The Voice UK, remember?

Watch the trailer below and tell us what you think - will you be tuning in?

Jamal Edwards and Sugababes Jade Ewen are set to feature in a new online drama called Steffi, which follows the life of a girl from a south London estate. It is also the acting debut of Jasmine Breinburg – who had a starring role in the Olympic Opening Ceremony 2012 – who is playing Steffi.

Owned by Emerald Films who also credit on Waterloo Road and Hollyoaks, the series is based on the novel The Overnight Fame of Steffi McBride by Andrew Croft and is about main protagonist Steffi who is lucky enough to make a name for herself and be catapulted in stardom after experiencing overnight fame.

Jasmine Breinburg as Steffi

Check out the trailer below:

The series will be exclusively on YouTube on the ThisIsDrama channel and starts on 15 March.

Sunday, 10 March 2013

Last week I took some fashion portraits of Heidi Range. We went for a simple look for the shoot, with a retro feel, aiming to capture Heidi’s charming character. I chose a turquoise background because I thought that it would compliment Heidi’s skin tone and bring a fresh, spring feel to the images. See some edits from our shoot below…

About Me

Followers

The Jade Ewen Story so far...

Jade Almarie Louise Ewen (born 24 January 1988) is an English singer, songwriter, actress and member of the Sugababes. Ewen began her singing career in the girl group Trinity Stone signed to Sony BMG in 2005, but they disbanded in 2007 with no album released. In 2009, she represented the UK at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest performing the Andrew Lloyd Webber / Diane Warren penned "It's My Time" after winning the UK national selection. She achieved 5th place, cementing her as the most successful British Eurovision act since 2002. She replaced Keisha Buchanan in the Sugababes in September 2009, while at the time still signed to Polydor Records.

Ewen was born and brought up in Plaistow, London, to a Jamaican mother, Carol and a Scottish-Sicilian father, Trevor. Trevor is blind and partially deaf, while Carol is partially blind. Ewen was a carer to both her parents and two younger siblings, Shereen and Kiel.She received a scholarship to the Sylvia Young Theatre School. As a student at Sylvia, she appeared in The Bill, Casualty and Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle.Ewen also won the part of Nala in The Lion King at the West End at the age of twelve. Ewen appeared in the children's dance DVD, entitled How To Dance. She also featured briefly in the video for pop rock band Busted's "What I Go to School For".

Between 2003 and 2004 she appeared in the Australian series Out There. In 2005, Ewen became a member of the girl group Trinity Stone which was signed to Sony BMG. The group disbanded in 2007. She later recorded with rapper Kwamé, who was impressed with her work on MySpace. She released a digital single, "Got You" in 2008 under Kwame's Make Noise label. Ewen co-wrote the song "A Little Bit" for the girl group Booty Luv and also "Let Me Be Me" for Jessica Mauboy. In early 2009, Ewen acted in the first episode of the series, Myths.

In January 2009, Ewen was approached and participated in the UK national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. She was eventually selected to represent the UK with the song "It's My Time" composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber who accompanied her on piano onstage. Ewen was signed with Polydor Records in February and began working on her debut album. In May Ewen finished in fifth place, the highest placing for the United Kingdom since 2002.

In September 2009, it was announced that Ewen had joined the Sugababes as the replacement for Keisha Buchanan.While her second single, "My Man" had been released in the same week, promotional activities for the single were cancelled. Although the single still managed to reach #35 in the charts. In an interview with the BBC, Ewen confirmed her commitment to the Sugababes as her main priority and that her solo album was put on hold. "About a Girl" later debuted at number eight in the UK. Sweet 7 was released in early 2010 after multiple delays from late 2009, and charted at #14 on the UK albums chart. In late 2010 Jade was revealed as the new face of Miss Ultimo lingerie, modelling the lingerie fashion lines Autumn/Winter collection for 2010.

A Brief History of The Sugababes

Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Guinness Book of World Records have named the Sugababes as the most successful female act of the 21st century with six UK number one singles and eighteen UK top ten hits.

Sugababes were formed in 1998 by founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. In 2001, after just one album and some initial success, Donaghy departed and the introduction of Range in the same year was met with the commercial success. The group survived a second line-up change in December 2005, when Buena left the band and was subsequently replaced by Berrabah. In September 2009, it was confirmed that after eleven years in the band, Buchanan was no longer part of the group and had been replaced by Jade Ewen.